Featured Post: communities

These Zines Fund Community Safety in Chinatown and Ethnic Studies

“We can reimagine community safety without being anti-Black or pro-police”

By ‘18 Million Rising Staff’’

  • A photo of an Asian man with a mustache and goatee, in a yellow t-shirt, holding a sign that reads 'MISS(ED) SAIGON' against a red background. His eyes are cut off in the image.

    We Cannot Walk Alone: Remembering the March on Washington

    communities • Aug 27, 2013 • By C.M. Samala

    Our nation does not exist solely in black and white — and it never has. Today, we Americans come in an array of races, colors, religions, gender identities, sexual orientation and ethnicities. The diversity of our country doesn't only make us unique, it makes us strong. Asian Americans are some of the newest contributors to this nation's diversity (many of us arriving after 1965), and with this newness comes responsibility. Read More

  • A grid of portraits of the six victims of the Oak Creek massacre: five Sikh men in turbans and beards, of various ages, and one woman wearing a purple head covering. The bottom of the image reads: 'We are a nation of many nationalities, many races, many religions - bound together by a single unity, the unity of freedom and equality.' - Franklin Delano Roosevelt

    Honoring the victims of Oak Creek

    communities • Aug 3, 2013 • By C.M. Samala

    When I heard the news of the Oak Creek shooting last year, my immediate reaction was fear for my friend and his family who regularly attended the gurdwara. Thankfully, my friend was safe. Sadly, his uncle and founder of the gurdwara, Satwant Singh Kaleka, was killed while trying to prevent the shooter from entering. Read More

  • A screenshot of a Tweet from C.M. Samala reading: 'YO. #18millionhearts is trending in the United States!' with a screenshot of the trends attached. It has 9 retweets and 10 likes.

    Asian Americans discussing immigration = National Twitter trend!

    identities • May 28, 2013 • By C.M. Samala

    Thanks to the participation of our amazing community, we managed to do something really incredible on Twitter: we turned our #18MillionHearts for Immigration Reform chat into a U.S. trend. The chat inspired 1,076 tweets by AAPIs in ONE DAY -- letting the world know that our voices cannot be ignored. These 1,000-plus tweets highlighted key immigration issues that impact us: family reunification, equal rights for LGBTQs, intersectionality, border security, and love for one another and our communities. That was our win this week. Read More

  • A group photo featuring AAPIs of different genders and ethnicities and ages at a 2012 APIDC event featuring Rep. Tammy Duckworth. Three sit in wheelchairs, and all smile at the camera.

    AAPIs with Mental Illness: A 2013 Snapshot

    identities • May 16, 2013 • By Alice Wong

    In addition to AAPI Heritage Month, May is also Mental Health Month. 18MR member and disability activist Alice Wong reviews findings from a survey she conducted with other members of Asians & Pacific Islanders with Disabilities of CA (APIDC) -- and the multiple challenges facing AAPIs with mental illness. Read More

  • A tag cloud with the word 'mom' in a variety of different languages.

    Thanks, Mom!

    releases • May 7, 2013 • By PaKou Her

    With AAPI Heritage Month upon us and Mother's Day just around the corner, 18MR launches a new initiative: #TYMom (Thank You Mom) -- to express gratitude to and illustrate the importance of moms and families. Read More

  • A young Asian American woman with a shoulder-length haircut gazes seriously and sadly at the camera.

    Through the Long Winter: A Look Back at Radiolab's Yellow Rain Controversy

    culture • Apr 5, 2013 • By Kao Kalia Yang

    Six months after Radiolab's 'Yellow Rain' segment and resulting public outcry, Kao Kalia Yang shares her ongoing struggle for meaningful acknowledgement from NPR leadership. Read More

  • A Pakistani American mother and daughter smile at the camera. Both have long black hair and are wearing short-sleeved shirts.

    FIXING IMMIGRATION BACKLOGS TO REUNITE FAMILIES

    ideas • Mar 21, 2013 • By Meeran Mahmud

    Under our current immigration system, immigrants can wait years -- even decades -- to be reunited with loved ones overseas due to visa limits and massive backlogs. 18MR partner Asian Pacific American Legal Center's (APALC) Meeran Mahmud shares her family's story. Sign our #18millionhearts immigration reform petition to show your support and affirm the importance of family-based immigration to the vitality of our American communities. Read More

  • A photograph of Sen. Mazie Hirono, wearing a blue suit on a yellow background. The text reads: '...as we're focused on employment-based immigration, we should not get tunnel vision and forget the human element of immigration. Of course I am talking about the need to expand the opportunities for families to be reunited and kept together. And this should include LGBT families. Family based immigration is essential to ensure the continued vitality of the American economy. In fact, the success of immigrants in this country is often the story of the success of immigrants with their families. I speak from personal experience being an immigrant myself.' - Senator Mazie Hirono

    THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC VALUE OF FAMILY VISAS

    ideas • Mar 19, 2013 • By Karthick Ramakrishnan

    With siblings and adult children with spouses potentially on the chopping block for family-based visas, there is an urgent need for decision makers to recognize how family-based immigrants conrtibute just as much to a vibrant and successful economy as hi-skilled immigrants. Karthick Ramakrishnan, director of the National Asian American Survey, points to studies showing that family-based immigrants strengthen communities through their labor, entrepreneurship, help with child care, and more. Read More